Artificial intelligence in lung cancer diagnosis and prognosis: Current application and future perspective.

Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the highest incidence and mortality in the world. The overall five-year survival rate of lung cancer is relatively lower than many leading cancers. Early diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer are essential to improve the patient's survival rate. With artificial intelligence (AI) approaches widely applied in lung cancer, early diagnosis and prediction have achieved excellent performance in recent years. This review summarizes various types of AI algorithm applications in lung cancer, including natural language processing (NLP), machine learning and deep learning, and reinforcement learning. In addition, we provides evidence regarding the application of AI in lung cancer diagnostic and clinical prognosis. This review aims to elucidate the value of AI in lung cancer diagnosis and prognosis as the novel screening decision-making for the precise treatment of lung cancer patients.

REBET: a method to determine the number of cell clusters based on batch effect removal.

In single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data analysis, a fundamental problem is to determine the number of cell clusters based on the gene expression profiles. However, the performance of current methods is still far from satisfactory, presumably due to their limitations in capturing the expression variability among cell clusters. Batch effects represent the undesired variability between data measured in different batches. When data are obtained from different labs or protocols batch effects occur. Motivated by the practice of batch effect removal, we considered cell clusters as batches. We hypothesized that the number of cell clusters (i.e. batches) could be correctly determined if the variances among clusters (i.e. batch effects) were removed. We developed a new method, namely, removal of batch effect and testing (REBET), for determining the number of cell clusters. In this method, cells are first partitioned into k clusters. Second, the batch effects among these k clusters are then removed. Third, the quality of batch effect removal is evaluated with the average range of normalized mutual information (ARNMI), which measures how uniformly the cells with batch-effects-removal are mixed. By testing a range of k values, the k value that corresponds to the lowest ARNMI is determined to be the optimal number of clusters. We compared REBET with state-of-the-art methods on 32 simulated datasets and 14 published scRNA-seq datasets. The results show that REBET can accurately and robustly estimate the number of cell clusters and outperform existing methods. Contact: H.D.L. (hongdong@csu.edu.cn) or Q.S.X. (qsxu@csu.edu.cn).

Transarterial embolization with hepatectomy for ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical effectiveness between transarterial embolization (TAE) with staged hepatectomy (SH) and emergency hepatectomy (EH) for ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were screened for eligible publications from the inception of the databases till February 2021. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included seven studies comprising 162 patients who underwent TAE with SH and 266 patients who underwent EH. The pooled intraoperative blood loss was less in the TAE with SH cohort, as compared to the EH cohort without significant difference (p = .20). The pooled blood transfer rate (p<.00001), blood transfer volume (p = .002), and 30-day patient death (p = .04) were all markedly reduced in the TAE with SH cohort versus the EH cohort. No significant differences in surgery duration (p = .27), hospital stay period (p = .81), complication rate (p = 0.92), disease-free survival (DFS) (p = .79), and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.28) were found between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with EH for ruptured HCC, TAE with SH could effectively decrease intraoperative blood loss and 30-day mortality. However, the long-term DFS and OS might not be beneficial to preoperative TAE.

Membrane-Bound Inward-Growth of Artificial Cytoskeletons and Their Selective Disassembly.

The cytoskeleton is one of the most important cellular components. Up to now, most of the reported artificial cytoskeletons are based on a gel-in-vesicle strategy. Herein, we report a membrane-bound inward-growth pathway to prepare cytoskeleton-like and radially aligned nanofibers grown from capsule membranes to get membrane-bound artificial cytoskeletons (MACs). The mechanism therein is disclosed through the direct observation of the intermediates in both dried and liquid states. Furthermore, the as-prepared MACs show a selective disassembly behavior in the presence of reductants: both capsule membranes and MACs can be disassembled or only MACs can be disassembled through the selective introduction of dynamic disulfide bonds (DS) into them and by the switch of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The present work provides a new hierarchical self-assembly way to construct artificial cytoskeletons with controlled compositions and orientations.

Kernel density-based likelihood ratio tests for linear regression models.

In this article, we develop a so-called profile likelihood ratio test (PLRT) based on the estimated error density for the multiple linear regression model. Unlike the existing likelihood ratio test (LRT), our proposed PLRT does not require any specification on the error distribution. The asymptotic properties are developed and the Wilks phenomenon is studied. Simulation studies are conducted to examine the performance of the PLRT. It is observed that our proposed PLRT generally outperforms the existing LRT, empirical likelihood ratio test and the weighted profile likelihood ratio test in sense that (i) its type I error rates are closer to the prespecified nominal level; (ii) it generally has higher powers; (iii) it performs satisfactorily when moments of the error do not exist (eg, Cauchy distribution); and (iv) it has higher probability of correctly selecting the correct model in the multiple testing problem. A mammalian eye gene expression dataset and a concrete compressive strength dataset are analyzed to illustrate our methodologies.

Clinical-radiological predictive model in differential diagnosis of small (≤ 20 mm) solitary pulmonary nodules.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of clinical-radiological predictive models for the small (≤ 20 mm) solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). We aim to establish a clinical-radiological predictive model for differentiating malignant and benign small SPNs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2013 and December 2018, a retrospective cohort of 250 patients with small SPNs was used to construct the predictive model. A second retrospective cohort of 101 patients treated between January 2019 and December 2020 was used to independently test the model. The model was also compared to two other models that had previously been identified. RESULTS: In the training group, 250 patients with small SPNs including 156 (62.4%) malignant SPNs and 94 (37.6%) benign SPNs patients were included. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that older age, pleural retraction sign, CT bronchus sign, and higher CEA level were the risk factors of malignant small SPNs. The predictive model was established as: X = - 10.111 + [0.129 × age (y)] + [1.214 × pleural retraction sign (present = 1; no present = 0)] + [0.985 × CT bronchus sign (present = 1; no present = 0)] + [0.21 × CEA level (ug/L)]. Our model had a significantly higher region under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (0.870; 50% CI: 0.828-0.913) than the other two models. CONCLUSIONS: We established and validated a predictive model for estimating the pre-test probability of malignant small SPNs, that can help physicians to choose and interpret the outcomes of subsequent diagnostic tests.

Association between relational trauma and empathy among male offenders in China.

BACKGROUND: Offenders are more likely than the general population to have experienced relationship trauma. They are also more likely to have lower empathy. To date, relationships between historical trauma and later empathic states have not been examined among offenders. AIMS: To explore the association between history of trauma in close personal relationships and empathy among offenders. Our research question is: Is such relational trauma associated with self-rated impairments in empathy? METHODS: All men with a primary school education and above at a single all-male prison in Jiangsu Province in China were invited to participate. The self-reported Interpersonal Reactivity Index was used to evaluate empathy, and the Brief Betrayal Trauma Survey was to explore interpersonal trauma and classify such experiences. RESULTS: Interpersonal trauma was associated with higher personal distress and lower empathic concern among men reporting relational trauma in adulthood, but only higher personal distress when the trauma reported was in childhood. Non-relational trauma was associated with higher empathic concern. Cognitive aspects of empathy varied little between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add to the existing literature by making distinctions between the types of trauma and the age of key experience in its relationship to self-reported empathy. The differences found suggest that it may be helpful to consider planning any trauma-related interventions differently according to the type and age of trauma experiences.

Computed tomography-guided lung biopsy: a randomized controlled trial of low-dose versus standard-dose protocol.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relative diagnostic utility of low- and standard-dose computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsy. METHODS: In this single-center, single-blind, prospective, randomized controlled trial, patients were enrolled between November 2016 and June 2017. Enrolled study participants were randomly selected to undergo either low- or standard-dose CT-guided lung biopsy. Diagnostic accuracy was the primary study endpoint, whereas technical success, radiation dose, and associated complications were secondary study endpoints. RESULTS: In total, 280 patients underwent study enrollment and randomization, with 271 (low-dose group, 135; standard-dose group, 136) receiving the assigned interventions. Both groups had a 100% technical success rate for CT-guided lung biopsy, and complication rates were similar between groups (p > 0.05). The mean dose-length product (36.0 ± 14.1 mGy cm vs. 361.8 ± 108.0 mGy cm, p < 0.001) and effective dose (0.5 ± 0.2 mSv vs. 5.1 ± 1.5 mSv, p < 0.001) were significantly reduced in the low-dose group participants. Sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy rates in the low-dose group were 91.8%, 100%, and 94.6%, respectively, whereas in the standard-dose group, the corresponding values were 89.6%, 100%, and 92.4%, respectively. These results indicated that diagnostic performance did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, we found larger lesion size (p = 0.038) and procedure-related pneumothorax (p = 0.033) to both be independent predictors of diagnostic failure. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that low-dose CT-guided lung biopsy can yield comparable diagnostic accuracy to standard-dose CT guidance, while significantly reducing the radiation dose delivered to patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02971176 KEY POINTS: • Low-dose CT-guided lung biopsy is a safe and simple method for diagnosis of lung lesions. • Low-dose CT-guided lung biopsy can yield comparable diagnostic accuracy to standard-dose CT guidance. • Low-dose CT-guided lung biopsy can achieve a 90% reduction in radiation exposure when compared with standard-dose CT guidance.

High-χ alternating copolymers for accessing sub-5 nm domains via simulations.

The ever-growing semiconductor industry has encouraged the feature dimensions of nanolithography to reach the sub-10 nm length scale. It is highly necessary to find nanolithographic materials with high performance but ultra-small domains. We have designed a series of high-χ alternating copolymers (ACPs), in which the polar and apolar repeating units are four hydroxyl groups and alkyl chains, respectively. Careful coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations demonstrate that these ACPs can form a variety of mesophases, including lamellae, perforated lamellae, and hexagonally packed cylinders. All the domain periods of these mesophases are smaller than 5 nm, and the smallest domain is close to 1 nm. Most importantly, both the phase morphologies and domain periods are independent of the molecular weight (MW) and molecular weight distribution (MWD) when the degree of polymerization (N) exceeds the threshold value. Thus, using high-χ ACPs, ultranarrow domains can be realized with high MW for sufficient material performance, while the MWD-independence can ensure the uniformity of the domain sizes. We believe that these "high χ-high N" alternating copolymers are promising alternatives as new nanolithographic materials.

Self-assembly of Amphiphilic Alternating Copolymers.

Polymer self-assembly has been a hot research topic for several decades. Different types of polymers with various architectures, like block copolymers, brush polymers, hyperbranched polymers and dendrimers, etc., are currently being investigated. Alternating copolymers (ACPs) are regular copolymers with an alternating monomeric unit structure in the polymer backbones. However, despite the great progress in the synthesis of ACPs, their self-assembly is still in an infant stage. Very recently, our group reported a new type of amphiphilic ACPs through click copolymerization and obtained spheres, vesicles, nanotubes, and even hierarchical sea urchin-like aggregates through the self-assembly process. In addition, we have found some intriguing features in the self-assembly of amphiphilic ACPs when compared with other copolymers, including their facile syntheses, readily functionalization, novel self-assembly structures, new folding-chain mechanisms, and uniform but ultrathin feature length. In this Concept article, we present the self-assembly of amphiphilic ACPs together with their unique features by reviewing our latest results and related studies. Moreover, the future perspective on the self-assembly of amphiphilic ACPs is also proposed. Our aim is to capture the attention and interest of chemists in this new area of polymerization.

Beclin-1 is involved in the regulation of antimicrobial peptides expression in Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis.

Beclin-1, the mammalian ortholog of yeast Atg6, plays essential roles in the regulation of various processes, including autophagy, apoptosis, embryonic development and immune responses in vertebrates. However, the information about Beclin-1 in invertebrates especially in crustaceans is still very limited. In the present study, a novel Beclin-1 (designated as EsBeclin-1) was identified from Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. The open reading frame of EsBeclin-1 cDNA was of 1,275 bp, encoding a typical APG6 domain. The deduced amino acid sequence of EsBeclin-1 shared high similarity ranging from 42.9% to 63.6% with the previously identified Beclins. In the phylogenetic tree, EsBeclin-1 was firstly clustered with Drosophila melanogaster Atg6 and then assigned into the branch of invertebrate Beclin-1. The mRNA transcripts of EsBeclin-1 were highly expressed in hepatopancreas, hemocytes and gill. After lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Aeromonas hydrophila stimulations, the relative mRNA expression of EsBeclin-1 in hemocytes was significantly increased from 3 to 24 h with the peak level of 4.70-fold (p < 0.01) and 2.91-fold (p < 0.01) at 6 h, respectively. EsBeclin-1 protein was diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm of crab hemocytes under normal conditions, whereas it displayed predominantly punctuate distribution after LPS stimulation. After EsBeclin-1 was interfered with specific EsBeclin-1-dsRNA, the mRNA transcripts of some antimicrobial peptides, including EsALF2, EsLYZ, EsCrus and EsCrus2 in crab hemocytes were significantly decreased at 6 h post LPS stimulation. These results implicated that EsBeclin-1 played a role in regulating the antimicrobial peptides expressions in the immune responses of E. sinensis.

Solution self-assembly behavior of rod-alt-coil alternating copolymers via simulations.

Alternating copolymers (ACPs) have shown several attractive unique characteristics in solution self-assembly due to their special alternating structure. With the introduction of rod segments, much more complexity and multifunctionality can be achieved in the self-assembly of rod-alt-coil ACPs. Herein, we have performed a simulation study on the self-assembly of rod-alt-coil ACPs in dilute solution through dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations. A morphological phase diagram was constructed as a function of rod and coil length, in which diverse assemblies were found, such as bicontinuous micelles and perforated membranes. Furthermore, the alignment of rod segments in the assemblies has been disclosed in detail. And, we deeply investigated the effects of rod length, coil length and π-π interaction strength on the self-assembly morphologies and rod alignment. With the increase of rod length, a disorder-order transition was observed, and π-π interactions could facilitate the orderly alignment of rods. Besides, our simulation results showed good agreement with available experiments. Furthermore, the unique characteristics in the self-assembly of rod-alt-coil alternating copolymers were discussed; in particular we found that the alternating molecular structures of ACPs could promote the orderly alignment of rod segments. We believe that the current work can provide a solid theoretical foundation for further experimental studies.

The involvement of suppressor of cytokine signaling 6 (SOCS6) in immune response of Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) is a family of cytokine-inducible negative regulators of cytokine signaling and it plays a crucial role in various physiological processes. In the present study, the full-length cDNA of a SOCS (designated as EsSOCS6) was cloned from Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. The open reading frame of EsSOCS6 cDNA was of 1266 bp, which encoded a polypeptide of 421 amino acid residues. There were two typically conserved SOCS family domains in EsSOCS6, including a central Src homology 2 (SH2) domain and a C-terminal SOCS box. The deduced amino acid sequence of EsSOCS6 shared 72-76% similarity with those of other SOCS6 family members. EsSOCS6 mRNA was constitutively expressed in all the examined tissues with higher expression levels in the immune-related tissues, such as hepatopancreas, hemocytes and gill. The mRNA expression levels of the EsSOCS6 in hemocytes were significantly up-regulated after the stimulations with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Aeromonas hydrophila and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly (I:C)). The mRNA expressions of threonine/serine protein kinase (EsAkt) and EsRelish were dramatically declined after EsSOCS6 was interfered by dsRNA. Collectively, these results demonstrated that EsSOCS6 might regulate the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and play an important role in the innate immune responses of E. sinensis.

A novel effector caspase (Caspase-3/7-1) involved in the regulation of immune homeostasis in Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis.

Caspases are a conserved family of cysteine proteases characterized by specificity for aspartic acid and play an essential role in cell apoptosis. In the present study, a novel effector caspase (designated as EsCaspase-3/7-1) was identified from Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. The open reading frame of EsCaspase-3/7-1 cDNA was of 972 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 323 amino acids. EsCaspase-3/7-1 contained an N-terminal prodomain and a conservative C-terminal CASc domain, with the conserved active site "QACRG". The mRNA transcripts of EsCaspase-3/7-1 were constitutively expressed in all the examined tissues with high expression level in hemocytes, hepatopancreas and gill. The EsCaspase-3/7-1 protein was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of hemocytes. After Aeromonas hydrophila and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulations, the mRNA expression level of EsCaspase-3/7-1 in hemocytes increased significantly. The mRNA expression level of EsCaspase-3/7-1 in hemocytes was significantly up-regulated after H2O2 treatment in vitro. The recombinant EsCaspase-3/7-1 protein (rEsCaspase-3/7-1) was capable of hydrolyzing the substrate Ac-DEVD-pNA rather than Ac-YVAD-pNA and Ac-VEID-pNA in vitro, and exhibited binding activity to LPS. These results demonstrated that EsCaspase-3/7-1 might act as an LPS receptor, and play an important role in the regulation of immune homeostasis of E. sinensis.

Emulsion-Assisted Polymerization-Induced Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Giant Sea Urchin-like Aggregates on a Large Scale.

Hierarchical solution self-assembly has become an important biomimetic method to prepare highly complex and multifunctional supramolecular structures. However, despite great progress, it is still highly challenging to prepare hierarchical self-assemblies on a large scale because the self-assembly processes are generally performed at high dilution. Now, an emulsion-assisted polymerization-induced self-assembly (EAPISA) method with the advantages of in situ self-assembly, scalable preparation, and facile functionalization was used to prepare hierarchical multiscale sea urchin-like aggregates (SUAs). The obtained SUAs from amphiphilic alternating copolymers have a micrometer-sized rattan ball-like capsule (RBC) acting as the hollow core body and radiating nanotubes tens of micrometers in length as the hollow spines. They can capture model proteins effectively at an ultra-low concentration (ca. 10 nm) after functionalization with amino groups through click copolymerization.

Deterioration of insulin release rate response to glucose during oral glucose tolerance test is associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes in normal glucose tolerance subjects.

ß-Cell dedifferentiation, characterized by loss of glucose sensitivity (ß-cell glucose sensitivity [ßCGS]), has been reported to play an important role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Traditionally, ßCGS was derived from C-peptide-based method. However, C-peptide was not routinely examined in normal subjects and diabetes never treated with insulin. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the use of insulin in oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in estimation of ß-cell glucose response ability. A total of 1,599 subjects including normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and T2D were included in the study. A subgroup of NGT subjects (n = 591) were followed up for an average duration of 56.88 ± 20.76 months. Insulin release rate (IRRINS ) in the function of glucose (IRRINS response to glucose [IRRG]) during OGTT was compared with ßCGS. Both ßCGS derived from C-peptide by deconvolution approach and IRRG by insulin release progressively declined from NGT to IGT and T2D. Both ßCGS and IRRG were associated with deposit of first-phase insulin secretion (DI1st ). After 56.88 ± 20.76 months, 32 (5.41%) NGT subjects had developed T2D. NGT subjects who progressed to diabetes after follow-up had lower IRRG and DI1st levels than those who did not (P < 0.01). Furthermore, multiple logistic regression analyses showed that decreased IRRG was a significant independent risk predictor for future diabetes after adjustment of age, body mass index (BMI), homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-insulin resistance, DI1st and family history. NGT subjects with decreased IRRG during OGTT had defective early insulin secretion and were at higher risk of developing diabetes. IRRG could be a useful T2D predictor in NGT subjects. © 2017 IUBMB Life, 69(9):756-766, 2017.

Specific N-glycan alterations are coupled in EMT induced by different density cultivation of MCF 10A epithelial cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process in tumor progression during which cancer cells undergo dramatic changes acquiring highly invasive properties. In a widespread adoption of TGF-ß-induced EMT model, we have previously observed that expression of bisecting GlcNAc on N-glycans was dramatically decreased. Herein, we performed in vitro studies with the MCF10A cell line. In response to low cell density, MCF10A cells suffered spontaneously morphologic and phenotypic EMT-like changes, including elongated spindle shape, extended out from edge of the cell sheet, cytoskeleton reorganization, vimentin and fibronectin up-regulation, catenins redistribution, and cadherin switching. Moreover, these phenotypic changes were associated with specific N-glycan alterations. Interestingly, the amounts of bisecting GlcNAc structure were declined, by contrast, the formation of ß1-6 GlcNAc branches were obviously up-regulated during the EMT induced by sparse cell conditions. We further investigated N-glycans on the ß1-integrin, which is a good target of some glycosyltransferases. The reactivity with E4-PHA lectin decreased, whereas the staining for L4-PHA lectin, which recognizes branched GlcNAc, increased in sparse cell conditions compared with dense cell conditions. Taken together, these results demonstrated that specific N-glycan alterations are coupled in EMT process and promoted cells migration at a low cell density.

Polymer Vesicle Sensor for Visual and Sensitive Detection of SO2 in Water.

This study reports the first polymer vesicle sensor for the visual detection of SO2 and its derivatives in water. A strong binding ability between tertiary alkanolamines and SO2 has been used as the driving force for the detection by the graft of tertiary amine alcohol (TAA) groups onto an amphiphilic hyperbranched multiarm polymer, which can self-assemble into vesicles with enriched TAA groups on the surface. The polymer vesicles will undergo proton exchange with cresol red (CR) to produce CR-immobilized vesicles (CR@vesicles). Subsequently, through competitive binding with the TAA groups between CR and SO2 or HSO3-, the CR@vesicles (purple) can quickly change into SO2@vesicles (colorless) with the release of protonated CR (yellow). Such a fast purple to yellow transition in the solution allows the visual detection of SO2 or its derivatives in water by the naked eye. A visual test paper for SO2 gas has also been demonstrated by the adsorption of CR@vesicles onto paper. Meanwhile, the detection limit of CR@vesicles for HSO3- is approximately 25 nM, which is improved by approximately 30 times when compared with that of small molecule-based sensors with a similar structure (0.83 µM). Such an enhanced detection sensitivity should be related to the enrichment of TAA groups as well as the CR in CR@vesicles. In addition, the CR@vesicle sensors also show selectivity and specificity for the detection of SO2 or HSO3- among anions such as F-, Br-, Cl-, SO42-, NO2-, C2O42-, S2O32-, SCN-, AcO-, SO32-, S2-, and HCO3-.

Specific N-glycan alterations are coupled in epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by EGF in GE11 epithelial cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a phenomenon in cancer progression during which cancer cells undergo remarkable alteration acquiring highly invasive property. The aim of this study was to evaluate specific N-glycan alterations during EMT induced by epidermal growth factor (EGF) in GE11 epithelial cells. Herein, we demonstrated that EGF activated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/Akt/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and promoted GE11 cell proliferation. Meanwhile, EGF stimulated the epithelial cells to undergo morphological alteration, destroying cell-cell inter-contact and exhibiting mesenchymal cells higher metastatic potential. A wound-healing assay showed the migratory ability increased 1.5-fold after EGF treatment. Moreover, the relative intensity of N-cadherin versus E-cadherin increased 2.6-fold, and the E-cadherin distribution in cell-cell junctions became jagged and faint after EGF incubation for 72 h. Interestingly, the amounts of bisecting GlcNAc structure were dramatically declined, by contrast, the formation of ß1,6 GlcNAc branches on cell surface was upregulated during EMT induced by EGF. To understand the roles of N-glycans in EGF-induced EMT, the cells were stably transfected with N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III (GnT-III), which catalyzes the bisecting GlcNAc structure formation. As the markers for EMT, EGF-induced E-cadherin decrease and fibronectin increase were delayed in GnT-III-overexpressing cells. Taken together, these results demonstrated that specific N-glycan alterations were coupled in EMT induced by EGF, which might be contributed to diagnosis and therapy of tumor metastasis.

Two novel LRR and Ig domain-containing proteins from oyster Crassostrea gigas function as pattern recognition receptors and induce expression of cytokines.

Leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain and immunoglobulin (Ig) domain are both competent immune recognition modules, and the immunological roles of LRR and Ig domain containing- proteins (LRRIGs) are speculated to be multifunctional and worth investigating. In the present study, two novel LRRIGs, CgLRRIG-1 and CgLRRIG-2, were identified and characterized from oyster Crassostrea gigas. Both of them contained an N-terminal LRR region, an Ig domain, a transmembrane region, and a C-terminal cytoplasmic tail. The mRNA transcripts of CgLRRIG-1 and CgLRRIG-2 were constitutively expressed in muscle, gill, hepatopancreas, mantle, gonad and hemocytes with the highest expression level in hepatopancreas. Their mRNA expression levels in hemocytes were significantly up-regulated after the stimulations with four PAMPs including peptidoglycan (PGN), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), glucan (GLU) and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) and one bacteria Vibrio anguillarum. The recombinant proteins, rCgLRRIG-1 and rCgLRRIG-2, could bind to PGN, LPS, GLU and poly I:C, and rCgLRRIG-2 exhibited higher binding affinity. Additionally, rCgLRRIG-1 and rCgLRRIG-2 could significantly induce the expression of CgTNF-1 and CgIL17-5 in cultured oyster hemocytes, and the activity of rCgLRRIG-2 was higher than that of rCgLRRIG-1. All these results indicated that CgLRRIG-1 and CgLRRIG-2 could function as immune effectors or pro-inflammatory factors as well as PRRs in oyster.